Hill Is Not Over The Hump

Orlando Magic

Grant Hill's Ankle Is Extremely Sore, And The Magic Aren't Sure What To Expect From The All-star Small Forward.

December 14, 2000|By Tim Povtak of The Sentinel Staff

PORTLAND, Ore. -- This all feels like a flashback to Grant Hill. If it weren't for the ache -- which is real -- it would seem like just a bad dream.

Hill spent Wednesday in his Portland hotel room, frustrated again by the return of pain and soreness in his left ankle, wondering when he will feel like himself again.

"I thought we were over this, but it kind of feels like we're back to where we were at the start," Hill said after getting treatment on his ankle. "My body is talking to me, and I'm trying to listen."

He doesn't like what he is hearing.

He was activated Monday after spending five weeks on the injured list, believing he successfully had finished the rehabilitation of his surgically repaired left ankle. Although the Magic lost Monday to the Los Angeles Clippers, Hill was buoyed by his play and the ability to wake up the next morning without soreness in the ankle.

Tuesday, though, was a different story. In the second half of a 97-92 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics, the pain returned, and his ability to perform regressed noticeably. By the end of the game, he felt helpless, even suggesting he be replaced in the closing minutes of a second consecutive loss. And in the morning, he had a slight limp.

The Magic don't play again until Friday, but Hill was looking for answers Wednesday. He spoke about the possibility of asking for other medical opinions, maybe going back to Duke University, from where he graduated.

His surgery last spring was done at the Cleveland Clinic, and doctors there have been in regular contact with his doctors in Orlando and Magic officials. All believe his ankle is healing on schedule, with the soreness expected.

Hill, though, is growing impatient.

"Now, I'm worried that it may not be right again," he said. "It's not the end of the world, but it's just so frustrating. Maybe I was overly optimistic before. Maybe I was just plain stupid. I was disappointed by how I felt a month ago, and I'm somewhat disappointed again because I thought I was past this stage."

Hill spoke with Magic Coach Doc Rivers and Magic trainer Ted Arzonico on Wednesday, expressing the same frustration. Both said Hill's soreness is the result of playing on back-to-back nights, and that he likely will play Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"He's sore now, but he'll be fine. I'm not worried about his foot and ankle," Rivers said. "I'm more worried about his confidence and emotions. Grant just thinks he should step on the floor and immediately be Grant Hill again, but it doesn't work that way after an injury, a surgery like this. He's way ahead of where he was a month ago. It's night and day."

Rivers said part of Hill's problem Tuesday came from allowing him to play too much -- 39 minutes -- in a very physical game. He asked Hill several times during the game how he felt, and each response was positive until the closing minutes.

"I was under the assumption that I'd be back to full form by now," Hill said. "What I'm realizing is that there never is a real timetable for this kind of thing. Everyone heals differently. I'm still kind of baffled by it. Maybe tomorrow, I'll feel great again. Maybe I just need another day's rest."

Hill had just nine points, eight assists and four rebounds in the loss to the Sonics.

"In the heat of a game, you just want to keep playing, so that's what I did. Maybe that's my fault," he said. "It was the same problem in Detroit. I just never wanted to come out. That's why it took a lot for me to admit that at the end."

Hill expects to be watching much of practice today. More than his sub-par performance, it was the Magic's inability to rebound that cost them a victory Tuesday.

They have struggled against bigger, more physical opponents this season, and the Trail Blazers are bigger and more physical than the Sonics.

"I'm not going to rule anything out," Hill said. "I'm not saying anyone has an answer for me, but it just seems like I've been down this road before."